Top 8 Most Interesting iOS and Android Mind Mapping Apps

Mind mapping is a process that enables us to visually represent our ideas, by placing the main one in the center and allowing us to connect the other ones around it. This process was designed to help all of us connect our various ideas to generate plans, solve tasks and have easier access to more information.

By drawing diagrams that show the relation between our thoughts, this turned into a way of taking notes, that helps us better understand the subject of a lecture, the problem of a business and the solution to all issues. With mind mapping becoming more and more appreciated, many developers from all over the world starting working on apps that allow us to draw mind maps. But when you have so many to choose from, it’s hard to say what application is best for you. This is why today’s article is going to focus on eight best such apps that we discovered and considered to be the most interesting.

iThoughtsHD

This one is an iOS application that has been specially designed to suit iPhones and iPads, while offering incredible features for both creating and sharing mind maps. The iThoughtsHD app from CMS is available in the iTunes store for only $8.99.

The latest version is v4.19 which has been updated at the beginning of 2014 to make its interface even more user-friendly. The easy to change settings for colors, icons and shapes are available in English for all devices running on iOS v5.1 or later. To make it even more appealing, Craig Scott and his team of developers at CMS made the app work with most desktop application that have the same role. Whether you’re thinking of FreeMind, NovaMind, iMindmap or other similar apps, iThoughtsHD supports all of them.

MindNode

MindNode comes from IdeasOnCanvas and is a popular mind-mapping app that enables users to brainstorm and organize their ideas in creative and intuitive ways. Designed for devices running on iOS, MindNode now offers its latest version – 3.0.4 – that has been updated in March 2014. The 7.4 MB app can be downloaded for $8.99 from iTunes and comes in a variety of languages.

What’s special about it is the fact that although meant for very smart people, the app itself is not trying to play smart – its user interface is extremely simple and very effective, which helps anyone understand it. And when you understand something, you can easily use it to generate diagrams, add new branches, drag ideas and adapt them to your own thinking process.

Allowing you to export files in many formats such as OPML and PNG, MindNode doesn’t only let you create mind maps, but also share them and transfer them to iCloud. If you have iOS 7.0 or later, you simply have to check its product page on iTunes for more details. Alternatively, if you own a Mac, you can also use the app here.

iBlueSki

The iBlueSky app has been available for iPhones since a long time, having its last upgrade made at the end of 2013. The last version of the app developed by Tenero Software Limited can be downloaded and installed for $8.99 at the iTunes Store. But the application is not only meant for iPhone – it can also fit any iPod Touch or iPad that runs on iOS v4.3 or later.

Some of the most interesting of its features are the creation and sharing options for mind diagrams, the many formats supported (pdf, opml, png, etc.) and the fact that it allows user to import such files directly from other applications. Whether you’re trying to prepare your essays for classes, writing a book or designing the next marketing strategy, this application is designed to make the best of your ideas.

The user-friendly menu allows you to cut, copy or paste a branch, edit each one of them and change their color. No wonder you’re able to create some of the most interesting projects thank to iBlueSki. Find out more about the application on the official website, here.

iMindMap

iMindMapis a free application that suits all iPhones, iPads and iPhones touch, but is also designed for Android devices, Windows and Mac. Specially optimized for iPhone 5, the app only requires version 5.0 of iOS or a later version of the same operating system. But this is not just a usual map – it is the only such app coming from the inventor of mind maps, Tony Buzan.

So if you’re taking mind mapping seriously, you should definitely take advantage of the unique interface for creating mind diagrams on-the-go. Coming in languages such as English, German, French, Polish, Portuguese, Spanish, Chinese and many others, the version 2.9.3 of this app is now available to download on iTunes.

iMindMap lets you export files in most formats and enables users to sync all of their maps from one device on to another. If you have an iPhone, as well as an iPad, you may need to sometimes work on one of them and later want to transfer the diagrams to the other. This is now very easy to do with the app – all you have to do is click here to check its official product page.

Simple Mind

If you own an Android device and wonder why so many of the mind-mapping apps are designed for iOS, we know how you feel. This is where Simple Mind comes in – a free app that suits devices running on both Android and iOS.

The application requires Android OS v2.2 or later and can be downloaded from Google Play or on iTunes if you have iOS v4.3 or a newer version In case you wonder if Simple Mind also works on desktops, we have more good news for you – the optimized versions for Mac and Windows are available here.

The latest version of Simple Mind has been updated in February 2014 and is now optimized for phones and tablets. It’s easy to drag, drop and arrange the branches, while you’re cutting, copying and pasting the various topics. You can also undo or redo any of the moves within the editor, and if you want to share your ideas, you can export them to Dropbox, use Wi-Fi or the Camera Roll to show them to your friends or colleagues.

Maptini

Going back to applications that work on iOS devices only, Maptini is another well-known mind mapping app. Available to buy at $5.49 in the iTunes Store online, Maptini comes from the Barking Minds developers’ team.

Requiring iOS v4.3 or a later version of the same operating system, it enables users to build diagrams on their iPhones, iPads or the web and share them with colleagues. The syncing option allows you to transfer maps from one supported device onto another, while also being able to copy everything on iCloud.

If you want to share your ideas, the options don’t stop here. Thanks to Maptini you can also post links to your maps on Facebook, Twitter, your blog or your website. To find out more about the amazing ways in which you could use this app, we invite you to visit its official website here.

BigMind Pro

Who is afraid of a big, big mind? Most problems at college, work or personal projects definitely are scared of what you could do using the BigMind Pro application for iOS. You can get this app for $4.99 in the iTunes online store and start taking advantages of its features set.

If you wonder what amazing features we’re talking of, here are just a few: you can adjust the color, shape and border of any topic, easily create relationships between ideas, zoom in and out while organizing your branches.

The mind maps you create using this app can also be exported to pdf, jpg, txt and many other file formats. It’s also easy to share everything by connecting BigMind Pro to an email account, which allows you to send emails to your co-workers and show your ideas.

MindMeister

Another mind-mapping app that works on Android is MindMeister from MeisterLabs. Available in English and German, as well as Spanish, the latest update was made to the app in February 2014. Requiring iOS v5.1 or Android OS v2.3, the app from Meister is very easy to use.

Allowing you to log in via Facebook or Twitter, export mind maps and share with your friends or colleagues, the app is equipped with a user-friendly interface. Thanks to it, you can easily create and modify diagrams, add more branches, zoom in and out, while you’re quickly inserting new ideas.

You can also set your favorite maps and export as an image, pdf file or rtf. If you made a mistake, there’s no need to worry with MindMeister – you have unlimited undo and redo that enables you to correct your errors. What can be even better than this? Well, there is one more details – MindMeister is a free app!

Alex Serban Feature Writer Alex holds an engineering degree in Telecommunications and has been covering technology as a writer since 2009. Customization is his middle name and he doesn’t like to own stock model gadgets. When he’s away from the keyboard, simpler things like hiking, mountain climbing and having a cold drink make his day.